The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s limited-release lottery for a chance to buy 1,804 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons has generated a lot of buzz.

And it begs the questions: Who was Pappy Van Winkle and why are his bourbons — which in Pennsylvania will range from $99.99 to $399.99 — so popular?

Here's what we found out from the website of the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franfort, Ky., which produces the brand.

Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. was a distiller who lived by the motto “We make fine bourbon at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon."

Pappy started off in the late 1890s as a liquor salesman for wholesaler W.L. Weller and Sons. He traveled by horse and buggy. Later he and a friend bought Weller and the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery, which had produced bourbon for Weller. The new company was named Stitzel-Weller and opened for business on Kentucky Derby Day in 1935.

Unlike others, Stitzel-Weller used wheat instead of rye in its mash, giving the bourbon a smoother taste.

Pappy was involved in the distillery until his death at age 91 in 1965. His son, Julian Jr. was then at the helm until its sale in 1972. The rights to all the distillery’s brands were sold.

Later, Julian Jr. brought back a pre-Prohibition label that had not been sold. It was called Old Rip Van Winkle. In 2002, the Van Winkles linked up with Buffalo Trace Distillery. Today, Pappy’s grandson Julian III run operations of the Van Winkle brand with his son Preston.

The Pappy Winkle label took off in popularly in the last 20 years as it garnered more and more rave reviews. Wine Enthusiast magazine and the World Spirits Championship have rated its 20-year-old bourbon 99 out of 100, according to the LCB.

A spokesperson for Buffalo Trace Distillery said the company can’t produce enough of the bourbon to meet the demand, hence Pennsylvania’s lottery.

“For every bottle we produce, we have 100 people waiting to buy it,” the spokesperson said.

Pennsylvania residents and licensees have until 11 p.m. Saturday to opt in to one or more of the drawings by visiting www.FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, and clicking on the “Events” tab at the top of the site.